Maria Mendi

I had my son’s Initial IEP meeting just last week. He is 6 years old and minimally verbal. The IEP team tried to dictate the whole meeting and decided that speech and language therapy would be the services he gets. I asked about a 1:1 aide because throughout the Eligibility meeting and the IEP meeting, it was obvious that he struggles to stay on task and measured between 6-10th percentile while his peers measure at the 50th percentile, etc. It was almost quickly shut down because my son can feed himself and doesn’t use a diaper and he’s “independent”. Is a Para Educational Aide strictly for students who struggle with basic life skills? My understanding is that a 1:1 aide is there to assist the student with his academics as well as encourage him develop social skills (I am super new to this and am just learning as I go). After repeating my request for a 1:1 they said they will begin the assessment to see if he is eligible for that service. I am at a loss. Any advice?